Lubricant



Patented july 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUBRICANT No Drawing. Application July 27, an, Serial No.

.625,190. Renewed January 29, 193':

21 Claims.

Our invention relates to methods for the production of high quality lubricating greases and specifically comprises such products as new compositions of matter.

Broadly speaking the art of making and using not be used 'ginder certain special mechanical conditions of high pressures and low speeds where a heavy highly: viscous or semi-solid lubricant was required. The grease making art developed to meet these special lubricating requirementsand now a very large number of different greases are found on the market. These greases vary in composition over rather wide limits. Some are mixtures of as little as 1% 01' soap or less, and 99% or more, of relatively light non-viscous bydrocarbon oils, as one extreme and others are mixtures of 60% or more of soap and 40% or less of very heavy viscous hydrocarbons, as the other extreme. A. large number of greases varying in composition between these extremes are on the market. The common characteristics of all greases being a mixture of soap and hydrocarbon oil. In addition to these ingredients a large'number of other substances are used in greases for va rious purposes, such as: fillers, odorants or perfume substances, graphite, mica, wax, borax, fibers, rosins', sulfur, eta-the exact composition of the finished grease depending largely uponthe intended use and the ideas of the fabricator and user. Needless to say, the characteristics of the soap and the hydrocarbon oil are also varied for the different greases by varying the alkali or i metal and/or the fatty acid or fat.

Up until the present time the grease manufacturer'has been able to supply the needs ofthe machine manufacturer; however, those skilled in .the art of manufacturing and using greases are well aware of the fact that many greases are used because they are the bestavailable and 5 not because they preferably meet the requirements of the conditions of use. N

' 'l'he chief objection to greases now available is their-relatively low film strength, and the lack of high film strength is probably the primary cause of the failure of the various greases in use and responsible for lubrication failm'eand seizure or damaging of the rubbing surfaces. 1 g

Since in use greases are subjected to high pres-. sure and slow speeds, their primary object is to give satisfactory lubrication under conditions of 5 I boundary lubrication. with boundary lubrication the rubbing surfaces are separated dilly by a very thin iilm of lubricant or grease; therefore, the thin film must have very high film strength to give satisfactorylubrication. This is trueof all 10 greases irrespective of their exact composition, and to broadly improve greases as a class of. lubricants the filmstrength of the greasemust be improved; the various other constituents used in grease manufacture being held constant. I 15 Our invention gives the very broad improve-. ment of film strength and is therefore applicable to all greases of all classes, composition and uses. I

Objects of our invention are to: v 20 1. Improve the film strength of all lubricant greases. v

2. Provide a newtype of high pressure grease for all uses. '7

3. Provide a lubricant grease which will-allow 25 the designer of mechanical equipment to design rubbing surfaces .of much higher pressure without making changes in mechanical design toovercome changes in physical character of the new greases.

4. Provide greases with substantially the same physical properties as those now in use but with much higher film strength.

5. Cheaply and economically accomplish the above improvements. 35

In general, our invention consists of halogenation oi. the fatty acid or fat which is used in preparing, the soap, and/or halo; :nation'of the hydrocarbon oil used tolblend with the soap. and/or other ingredients in preparation of the 40 finished grease. From this brief statement it is apparent that our invention is applicable to all cup greases, settgreases, soda basegreases, lime base greases, lead base greases, zinc base greases, aluminum base greases, mixed base greases and/er all other grease of whatever name or classification if they contain a soap and hydrocarbon oil.

The halogenmay be added to the fatty acid, fat or hydrocarbon oil by any of the known methods. Halogenation by direct addition to the factory. It is not the intention of this-invention to cover the method of halogenation, as any of the known methods are satisfactory. The degree of halogenation may be varied over wide limits, .depending upon the substance being halogenated and the intended use of the grease containing the halogenated product. The product may be only slightly halogenated and contain as little as one atom of chlorine in each molecule. A higher degree of halogenation is usually used, however, and may be halogenated up to the point of substantially complete halogenation. By the point of complete halogenation we mean the point at which the halogenated inoleculebegins to break down or become unsatisfactory for use, and we do not mean complete hydrogen substitution by halogens.

To prove the efl'iciency of our invention a grease may be made with the ordinary ingredients in the given proportion with the usual materials. Then another grease may be made in the same manner, with substantially the same proportion of materials but using halogenated fatty acids, fats and/or oils. The two greases thus prepared may be tested on the Timken lubricant tester (a .machine developed by the Timken Roller Bearing Company) to determine the film strength of each. It is found that the grease made with the halogenated constituent invariably has the higher film strength. In the Timken lubricant tester the lubricant is used under increasing pressures at the rubbing surface with constant speed until a pressure is reached which causes a breaking down of the grease film and a seizure or damaging of the rubbing surfaces. New rubbing "surfaces are used for each test.

To give an example of each grease to which our invention is applicable would only tend to unduly lengthen the specification without making the invention any clearer to those skilled in the art. Examples from a number of classes of greases will be given to show and properly clarify our invention, but are not to be construed as a limitation of the application of the invention.

EXAMPLE 1 Stearic acid chlorinated to a melting point of 13 F. and used for making sodium soap after removing excess chlorine.

(a) 2% sodium stearate 98% of viscosity at 210 F. oil. (b)

98% of 95 viscosity at 210 F. oil. These two greases tested on Timken machine:

'(a) (Straight sodium stearate)-Seizure point at 390 ft./min. 12.9 pound weight, equivalent to approximately 7,800 pounds per square inch.

(1;) (Sodium soap of chlorinated stearic acid). seizure point at 390 ft./min. 22.9 pound weight, equivalent to approximately 14,000 pounds per square inch.

2% sodium soap of chlorinated stearic acid ,Aluminum soap made from halogenated 95 viscosity at 210 F. oil-seizure at a pressure of approximately 7,800 pounds persquare inch (see Example 1).

(b) 5% sodium soap of chlorinated stearic acid in 95% of 95 viscosity oil at 210 F.seizure point at 390 ft./min. 53 pound weight equivalent to approximately 30,000 pounds per square inch.

This example shows more than double the film strength by increasing soap content from 2% to 5%. The fllm strength of the 5% soap grease made from chlorinated acid is of about 385% higher film strength than the grease containing. 2% ordinary sodium stearate.

As the amount of the halogenated soap content is increased in the various greases, the film strength increases as a general rule.

The following examples show some of the possible modifications of our invention by the actual product:

EXAMPLE 3 Tnswsmssron Games (Sons Bass) Per cent Chlorinated tallow 2.09 Caustic I a 0.38 180 pale neutral oil 7.57 95@210 F. zero oil 89.96

EXAMPLE 4 Passsnm: Lnnmcsm- (LIME BASE) Per cent Chlorinated cottonseed fatty acid 14.43 Lime 2.10 Water 0.36 300 red oil 80.11 D bright stock 8.00 EXAMPLE 5 #3 Cor Gasser; (AUTOMOTIVE) LIME Bass Per cent Chlorinated cottonseed fatty acid 19.00 Chlorinated tallow 2.12 Limp 2.98 Water 0.71 pale 75.17 Oil of citronella .02

By varying the quantities of chlorinated cottonseed fatty acid and chlorinated tallow and lime, the various grades of cup grease canbe made.

EXAMPLE 6 INDUSTRIAL Our Gmsns (Lnm BASE) #30 industrial cup grease Percent Chlorinated cottonseed fatty acid 14.43 Chlorinated stearicacid .r 5.43 Lime 2.80 Water K 0.49 300 Texas red 66.88 D bright stock By varying the percentages of various ingredients difierent grades oi. grease can be made.

EXAMPLE 7-. ALUMINUM Soar Cor Ganasas Per cent stearic acid 4 10.00 pale neutrai 90.00

EXAMPLE 8 FIBER GBEASES (LIME AND Sons BABE) (a) #2 fiber grease (soda base) EXAMPLE 9 Rooms]; ABM Lussrcsn'r (ALUMINUM BASE) Per cent Aluminum soap made from chlorinated stearic acid 10.00 Oleic acid 0.5 Steam refined cylinder stock 89.5

EXAMPLE 10 LEAD soar TRANSMISSION GREASE (LEAD BABE) (a) #1 lead soap transmission grease EXAMPLE 11 LEAD NAPHTHANATE Transmission GREASE Per cent Lead soap made from chlorinated naphthenic acids I 20 Black oil (either 110@210 or 190@210 depending on whether for summer or winter use)- ALUMINUM Soar Tnsnsmssron Gasser:

. Per cent Aluminum soap made from chlorinated stearic acid 4% Steam refined stock .4...

By varying the aluminum soap made from dif ferent halogenated fatty oils and fatty acids, a variety of different consistencies of grease can be made.

EXAMPLE 13 I Per cent Dehydrated soda soap of a halogenated fatty acid -1- 50 Viscous hydrocarbon oil 50 This is a very high quality hard grease used and designated as a driving journal compound. The r lative proportion of halogenated soap and hydrocarbon oil is subject to variation, depending upon the type of hydrocarbon oil and degree of halogenation, as well as the physical characteristics required in the finished compound.

In each of the above examples, the mn'f strength of the respective greases was greatly 'increased over like greases made without the halogenation of our invention.

Special equipment is not required for the manufacture of our greases, the usual plant equipment being satisfactory. The oils may be saponifledin pressure or atmospheric vessels.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:-

1. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a soap of a halogenated higher fatty acid of the aliphatic series.

2. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a soap of a chlorinated higher fatty acid of the aliphatic series.

3. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a metal soap of a halogenated higher fatty acid of the aliphatic series.

4. A grease comprising in combination a hy drocarbon oil and a metal soap of a chlorinated higher fatty acid of the aliphatic series.

5. A grease comprising in combination a hy- I drocarbon oil and a mixture of respective soaps of a plurality of halogenated higher fatty acids of the aliphatic series.

6. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a mixture of respective soaps of a plurality of chlorinated higher fatty acids of v the aliphatic series.

7. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a .soap of a halogenated animal fatty acid.

0. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a soap of a chlorinated animal fatty acid.

9. A grease comprising in combination a .hydrocarbon oil and a soap of halogenated vegetable fatty acid.

10. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and soaps of chlorinated vegetable fatty acids. I

11. A grease comprising in combination a h drocarbon oil and metal soaps of chlorinated vegetable fatty acids.

12. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a soap of a halogenated fat.

13. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a soap of a halogenated animal fat.

14. A grease comprising'in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a soap of a halogenated vegetable fat.

15 A grease comprising-in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a soap of a halogenated fish oil.

16. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil, a soap of a halogenated fat and free higher fatty acid of the aliphatic series.

1'7. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil, a soap of a halogenatedfat and free halogenated higherfatty acid of 'the*aliphatic-series. I V

19. A grease comprising in combination a hydrocarbon oil and a small amount of a soap selected from the following group,soap's of halogenated higher fatty acids of the aliphatic 15 series, soaps oi. halogenated tats, soaps of halogenated oils. a 20. A lubricating composition comprising in less than 60%, based on the total composition,

combination a hydrocarbon oil and about 1% '01 of a soap of a halogenated higher fatty acid of the aliphatic series. 5 a soap of a halogenated higher fatty acid of the BERT H. LINCOLN.

aliphatic series. ALFRED m I1 21. A lubricating composition comprising in combination-a hydrocarbon oil and an amount 

